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RHA Holds annual Boat Cruise aboard the Odyssey

The Residence Hall Association (RHA) held their annual Boat Cruise on Friday, September 28, after two weeks of selling tickets to interested students. Unlike previous years, the sale occurred digitally instead of physically, with students buying their tickets through the IIT tickets portal. The sale was limited to 90 tickets per day that could be bought from 1-4 p.m., starting on September 17, giving students a better chance to secure a ticket. Physical tickets were given at the cruise, where volunteers scanned the electronic tickets and handed out physical ones upon approval.

Friday night saw students patiently waiting to board the buses in MSV’s middle lounge. From full length sparkly dresses to three piece suits, all guests seemed to be dressed in their best attires and ready for a night full of dancing to begin. After taking a picture in front of the branded lifesavers, Illinois Tech’s passengers were allowed on board the well-known Odyssey, excitement visible in their faces as they walked up the ramp. Students were also greeted by the Odyssey’s crew members, which included designated public safety officials in order to ensure the well-being of all passengers.

Once inside, passengers had four floors full of options to explore, including a top open deck with a beautiful view of Chicago’s skyline. Despite the chilly night, many students could be seen in the deck in order to take pictures, enjoy the company of friends, or simply admire the view. The third and second floor contained tables and a full buffet of breakfast food, including waffles, scrambled eggs, and breakfast meats. Each of these floors also included a dance floor and its own DJ. Both dance floors remained full throughout the night, the music including everything from electronic to Bollywood songs and ensuring everyone found at least one song to enjoy. Last but not least, the fourth floor contained the famous casino. Guests were given a card at the beginning of the night that they could trade for chips, and dealers were available in every table to provide tips or even instructions for those unfamiliar with the games. At the end of the night, chips could be traded for raffle tickets, the announcement of winners being the last activity of the night.

Whether your goal was to spend every second in the casino or move between floors and enjoy the different atmospheres, the Odyssey cruise was guaranteed to have something for you—and well, the Chicago skyline changing in the window as the boat slowly moved downstream was also a nice plus.